> Leadership


“Essentials to leadership: humility, clarity and courage.”

—F. Yuan


Leadership

Many game developers focus on honing their technical skills, which is essential for growth. However, to truly foster a thriving development environment, it’s just as important to cultivate empathy, strong communication, collaboration, and creative problem-solving.

Every developer’s journey is unique, but I take a relationship-first approach as a team member and a player-first mindset as a developer. By prioritizing these areas, you can not only become a skilled game developer but also a compassionate teammate who enriches the development experience.

Top performers strive to make their greatest individual impact, while compassionate leaders aim to elevate the collective contribution of the entire team. Work with compassionate leaders. Be a compassionate leader. Hire compassionate leaders.

Here are suggestions which fit this philosophy.

Books

1/5: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

Start with a focus on your own efficiency.

This book presents a system for organizing tasks and managing time efficiently, ensuring stress-free productivity.

Game developers benefit from mastering productivity techniques because they often juggle complex tasks, deadlines, and project goals.

  • Author: David Allen
  • More Info: Amazon
  • See Video: Youtube (8:07)
  • Skills Of Focus: Time management, stress reduction, task organization
  • Notes: Use mind for creation not storage → Create inbox for ideas→ Create definition of “Done” → Schedule any tasks over 2 mins → Honor agreements with yourself/others

2/5: Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life

Next, improve how you relate to others.

This book outlines a method of communicating empathetically and constructively to improve relationships and resolve conflicts.

Effective communication is essential for game developers working in teams, making this book valuable for fostering collaboration and reducing miscommunication.

  • Author: Marshall Rosenberg
  • More Info: Amazon
  • See Video: Youtube (12:00)
  • Skills Of Focus: Empathy, conflict resolution, effective communication
  • Notes: (OFNR) Observation → Feelings → Needs → Request

3/5: The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses

Then, get playful with the ‘theory of fun’.

This book teaches the art of designing games by looking through different “lenses,” or perspectives, to understand what makes games engaging.

This is crucial for game developers because it helps them think creatively and critically about player experiences and game mechanics.

  • Author: Jesse Schell
  • More Info: Amazon
  • See Video: Youtube (11:00)
  • Skills Of Focus: Creative thinking, player-centric design, critical analysis
  • Notes: …

4/5: Game Programming Patterns

As you gain experience making ‘fun’ game mechanics, increase the maintainability and scalability of your solutions.

This book focuses on practical programming patterns tailored specifically for video game development.

Game developers should read this because it provides proven coding solutions that improve game architecture and performance.

  • Author: Robert Nystrom
  • More Info: Amazon
  • See Video: Youtube (13:00)
  • Skills Of Focus: Maintainability, scalability, efficient coding
  • Notes: …

5/5: Game Engine Architecture

Finally, bring together your learnings into challenges that are over your head. Feel that stretch and discomfort of expanding your boundaries. Getting used it and being able to ‘be with it’ is powerful.

This review highlights a comprehensive book on game engine architecture that covers a wide range of advanced topics, including concurrent programming, memory management, and real-time simulation.

It helps game developers by offering detailed, hard-to-find insights and practical guidance on complex systems, making it a valuable resource for improving game engine development.

  • Author: Jason Gregory
  • More Info: Amazon
  • See Video: Youtube (9:42)
  • Skills Of Focus: Advanced problem-solving, systems thinking, technical depth
  • Notes: …

What’s Next?

This area of my expertise is particularly exciting!

I love to learn & to make an impact with my teams and projects.

Contact me regarding new opportunities that align with my skills and experience.